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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fall — the season
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — for a lock
  16. swing — in golf
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — the most important part
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. swing — music
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com